July 1 - 4 - A New Adventure Starts

July 1 I can't believe by 6:45 I was up, the critters are fed, coffee made, pills taken -- geez! Guess I miss the guy next door cranking up his vehicle and leaving early in the AM! He packed up, hitched up and left yesterday. The park seems to be full of mostly construction workers – lots of highway repairs and rebuilding going on in this area. There are a few in and out day or two stays, but with the number of trucks leaving out of here at 6 AM and returning just before sunset, they are mostly in construction.

Met my sister for lunch at the Tremont Hotel Grille here in town. I love their Cap Anson sandwich and sweet potato fries! I understand it is named after the son of the founding father of Marshalltown.

Adrian "Cap" Anson (1852-1922) was probably baseball's first superstar.
He batted over .300 in 24 of his record 27 seasons. He was also manager of the Chicago White Stockings. His high expectations and stern demeanor helped raise the level of play in baseball. He was the first player to collect 3,000 hits, and although he retired in 1897, he is still one of the all time leaders in hits, run, RBIs and doubles for the Chicago Cubs.

A baseball player in the late 1800s, he made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame, so I guess he deserves a sandwich named after him!

Dropped the propane cylinder off on my way to lunch, didn’t want it left in the back of the truck unattended. Picked it up on the way home; first refill I’ve had since March 5. Guess I don't use much propane just for cooking.

July 2 went into WalMart looking for a 12 volt light bulb for my dining area ceiling fixture – none there. But no sense wasting a trip to WalMart so I got my hair cut! Wandered through Good Will to see if there was something there that I just couldn't live without -- and sure enough, there was! Picked up a couple of books. Ended up having to go to an auto parts store to get my light bulbs. Then, met my sister for lunch at the deli. Then a delightful sunny day outside with Li’lBit.

July 3 One of the books I picked up at Good Will was Siege and Survival the Odyssey of a Leningrader by Elena Skrjabina. It is the translation of the diary she kept while surviving the Siege of Leningrad during WWII. When I got it home and started reading it, the author had signed a personal message on the inside (to a friend) -- about 1/3 of the way thru the book (it's just about 200 pages) I found a postcard from the author dated 1987, same as the dated signature in the book, addressed to the same friend. What a special book. What a special surprise.

Doing a little Google search, I found the Elena Skrjabina became Helene Scriabine and, after arriving in the US became Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. She died in Iowa City in 1996.

Unable to find a obit on her, I'm wondering if she is buried in Iowa City. If so, I'd like to take some flowers to her grave....now doesn't that sound strange...just think I need to do that!

Now is when I wish I had been more attentive when people were discussing genealogy searches. I'm at a loss of where to start trying to locate a grave (especially in a town I'm not familiar with!) Time to contact some friends that do genealogy work with the magic question: Where Do I Start!?

I've checked the Iowa City newspapers but the archives don't go back that far. She had two sons, one came to the US with her, the older one stayed in Germany after the war. So she may not even be buried in Iowa.

I know it isn't an antique -- but I do love my books and to know that the book I was holding, reading, had actually been held by the author really meant something to me. It is a wonderful story too how she survived the siege, held by the Germans, got to the US and became a professor of Russian Studies. Tuesday I'm calling Iowa City newspapers to see if I can get a copy of her obit. I think it is becoming an obsession! I keep doing web searches and the more I find, the more I'm interested. When she first came to the US, she attended and worked at a college in NY state - ended up teaching Russian to the Air Force. What an interesting life…what a spunky lady. Wish I could have called her a friend! I’m so glad I found the book.

It's a rainy day July 4th in Marshalltown Iowa, but that's OK. I grilled enough yesterday (just in case). AND -- great news -- I have found the obit on the author of the book I'm reading, well, not the actual obit, but know what paper and what dates, so Tuesday, the search for Helene Scriabine (Elena Skrjabina) continues.